Orquestration Walter Piston

5/20/2018 Orquestration Walter Piston

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ORCHESTRATION

Y Walter iston

PROFESSOR 01 :

\1USIC EMERITUS

HARVARD

Ur-;IVERSlry

:A ...w ork

W W NORTON CO.MPANY

INC

ublishers


2/20

CHAPTER

E I GH TEEN

KEY

BOA

R D I S T R U

\

E N T S

THE

PIAXO

Fr., piano; It., pianoforte; Ger., Klavier

I

T IS assumed that the reader

is

familiar with the pianoforte and its

technique. \Ve are concerned here not so much with the capacities

of the piano

as

a solo instrument,

as

with its use

as

an orchestral in

strument, occupying a status comparable, for instance, to that of the

harp

or

the flute.

There

are five aspects to be distinguished in the association of the

piano

with

the orchestra:

a) The early practice of employing a pianist

to

play along with

the orchestra

to

give support in weak places, and to help the group

keep time and rhythm.

This

is

substantially the same role that was

played throughout the eighteenth century

by

the maestro at the

harpsichord, who executed the realization of the figured bass on his

instrument and

kept

the ensemble together, but no special part was

written for the player,

who

read from the score. As the art of con

ducting developed, this usage died

out

in the early nineteenth century.

b)

The piano concerto, in which the orchestra plays the accompani

ment, and

is

subordinate througho ut to the solo piano part. Characteris

tic examples are the piano concertos of Mozart and Beethoven.

Today

a

work

of this type

is

the occasion for engaging an outstanding virtuoso

pianist,

not

a member of the orchestra, to play the solo part.

The

piano

is

placed at the front of the stage.

c)

The composition for Piano and Orchestra, in which the solo

piano retains its position

of

prominence while at the same time the

34D

KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS

34

orchestra

is

raised to a position of equality.

This

is

a flexible category,

some features of which can be noted in the solo concertos of the pr eced

ing paragraph (the slow movement of Beethoven's

Fourth

Concerto).

The solo part still

is

played

by

a visiting artist, but part of the time the

piano is used as an orchestral instrument

(D Indy-Symphony

on a

French Mountain Air).

For

this reason, conductors sometimes prefer

to place the piano with in the orchestra rather than in front of it (Falla

-Nights in the Gardens

of

Spain .

d) The piano

as

an orchestral instrument. This situation did not

come

to

pass until the t wentieth century. The pianist

is

here compara

tively anonymous and

is

a regular member of the orchestra Copland

Appalachian Spring .

e) The piano in the small orchestra.

This is

a further development

of orchestral composition in the twentieth century (Stravinsky-Suite

for Small Orchestra .

ORCHESTRAL USES

The

chief

use

of the piano

as

an orchestral instrument

is

one of

doubling. By this means an incisi\'eness, due

to

the percussive quality

of the piano,

is

imparted to any instrument or group-strings, wood

wind, brass, or percussion, in all registers. The high register of the

piano

s

especially effective in contributing brilliance

to

the upper

woodwind. In the following example, two piccolos go along with the

piano up to its very highest note. The left-hand part doubles three

oboes and the second violins, while the octave in between

is

played by

the first violins and the xylophone.

EX. 36 I Copland-Symphony

110.

3

p. 45, ed. Boosey Hawkes

>

>

Copyright 947 by Hawk.s

Son

London) Ltd.

l:sed by

permission.


3/20

342

I N S T R U M N T S

In

the next

example, the right-hand notes act

as strong

upper partials

to the left-hand

part,

which doubles two oboes and a trumpet. A bas

soon plays in

the

octave below.

There

are

other

parts in the score.

EX.

362. Martinu SymphollY no. 4

p. 97, ed. Boosey

Hawkes

Copyright

1950

by

Hawkes

Son

London) Ltd.

Used by penn

ss ion.

The piano is at a disadvantage associating

with other

instruments in

parts of a sostenuto and legato character.

Better

results are obtained

if

the

piano

part is kept

in

motion,

in notes

of

not

too

long

duration.

Doubling of

pizzicato

is of

course

very much

in its style.

Here

it

must

be remarked

that

low-pitched staccato on the piano,

when

loud, often

sounds upper partials

with

undue prominence,

creating

a metallic

tone

and

disguising the pitch. This depends upon the

instrument,

and

it is

more

likely to

occur

if a small piano

is

used.

EX.

363. Shostakovich SY111phony no. 5

J=9

2

. .

p. 12, ed. Musicus

Copyright

1945

y

Leeds :11usic Corporation, New

York.

Csed

by

permission.

Among

the

numerous

possibilities

for

the

combination of

the piano

with other

instruments, the

following is

particularly felicitous,

with

violins playing

collegno.

KEY BOA

R D r N S T R U 1\1 E ?\ T S

Hi

EX.

36+ Copland SY11lp/.10/ly 110 I

p.

8,

cd. Cos Cot,

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of

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.Press,

Inc.,

incorporating

the

eu::; Cob Press.

SOLO PASSAGES

The

piano delivers imitative

thematic

figures alone, just

as

any other

instrument. It

is

also given important solo parts, sometimes

demanding

a high degree

of

virtuosity, although

no more than that

expected

of

other

players in the

modern symphony

orchestra.


4/20

344

INSTRUMENTS

EX.

365. Stravinsky-Phroucbka

p.

64,

ed. Russe

Allegro

7-----

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-t.

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etc.

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Copyright by Edition Russe de Musiquc. Revised version copyright

1948

by Boosey & Hawkes. 1.:sed

by

permission

KEYBOARD

INSTRUMENTS

345

In

the following, the piano carries the thematic material, over a back

ground of

repeated sixteenth notes

by

three horns. Strings mark cer

tain of the melodic notes lightly.

EX.

366.

Stravinsky-Symphony

n Three Movements

p.

27,

ed. Associated Music Publishers

m l ~

~

~ ~

oco marcato

_ _ _ _ :

Copyright

1946

by

Associated

:: lusic Publishers, Inc

::Sew

York.

Used by

permission.

P E R U S S I O ~

Dissonant chords in the

low

register

of

the piano are used in percus

sive

rhythmic

effects.

EX.

367.

Bartok Dance

Suite p.

3

ed. Philharmonia

Copydght

1924

by 1.:ni\'ersal Edition. Copyright assigned 1939 to Boosey &

Hawkes

Ltd. Used by

I J t f l l l l l o n .

The

piano tremolo is combined

with

rolls on bass drum and timpani.


5/20

H i

J S T R C

\1

E T S

EX.

368.

Prokofieff-Symphony no. 5

p. 39, ed. Leeds

Andante

ifI_

.l.

J.

TIMP.

f-:>-

B.D.

t ~ ~

r _

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_ _ _

Copyright 1946 by Leeds :Music Corporation, ::\c\V York. Csed by permission.

PL\XO AXD HARP

Some

twentieth-century

composers have

shown

a

preference for

the

piano

to

be used in place

of

the harp, feeling perhaps

that

the latter

instrument

conveyed a certain romantic association

they

wished

to

avoid.

Others

have

combined

piano and harp, and some ha\ e used a

larger

grouping of

piano, harps, and celesta,

playing

harplike arpeggios,

broken

chords, and figuration (D Indy-SlI711711er

Day

Oll the

MoltlZ-

" . .

fain

Stravinsky-UOiseau de Fell .

In

the next example, a deep bell

sound is

created by

the unison

of two

harps and

the

piano, \yith double

bass pizzica to

and

timpani. The latter are

omitted

from the

example,

as

well

as

the held octave D

for

two bassoons, contrabassoon, bass trom

bone, tuba, and a bass

drum

roll.

EX.

369.

Britten Sinfonia da

Requiem

p

I ed. Boosey & Hawkes

Andante ben m.isuraro

2 HARPS1

ND

PIANO

-

urns.

.IY

dim.

I

j

1

> > ::::- ::::-

Copyright 19 Q by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd. Csed by

permission.

Unusual uses

of

the piano are the part

for

piano

four

hands in

De

bussy s Prime1l1ps; the employment

of two

pianos in Strayinsky s

SY717

KEY BOA

R D IN S T R U

\

E N T S 347

phony of Psal71ls; the extraordinary

orchestra

of

Stravinsky s Les

N oces, composed

of four

pianos

and

percussion;

and

the use

of an

up

right piano,

not

necessarily

in

tune,

for

local color in Copland s

Billy

tl 1e

Kid.

In

the small orchestra,

or

chamber orchestra, for

which

many works

ha\ e been

written in

the

twentieth century, the

piano performs a

\ ariety

of

serYices.

It

compensates

for

the absence

of

instruments like

the

harp

and percussion, and fills

in

middle parts in place

of

horns.

Sonorous writing like the following example gives, within the perspec

ti\ e

of the

small orchestra, an impression

of

orchestral

tutti.

EX.

370.

Copland-Music

for

the Theater

p. 37, ed. Cos

Cob

by Cos Cob

Pre , Inc. Csed

by

penni iol1 of

Arrow

1're,s, Inc.,

incorporating

the

Scoring for the

piano creates some practical difficulties

that

should

be at least

recognized

by

the

composer. The piano

tone ought to

be

that of

a

9-foot

concert grand

piano, if

it is

to

sound

well in a full

sym

phony

orchestra. On a stage

of

insufficient size a smaller instrument

may

ha\ e

to

be used.

Furthermore, to

a\ oid

much rearrangement dur

ing a concert the piano may be

placed

far to the side of the stage, es

pecially if its part seems to the conductor a subordinate one. This will

proye

most unsatisfactory

when the

piano

is combined with wood-


6/20

34H

INS T R U \ E N T S

winds, because of the distance.

The

correct position of the piano

is

in

the

center

of

the

stage.

THE CELESTA

The

celesta may be considered a kind of

keyed

glod:enspiel, in

that

its

tone

is produced

by hammers striking steel slabs. The instrument

has a piano keyboard, and

it

resembles in appearance some modern

types of miniature

upright

piano. Each steel bar rests upon a tuned res

(mating

wooden

box, this feature giying the celesta a softness and

delicacy

that

distinguish

it from

the glockenspiel.

There is

also a

damper pedal.

The

written

range

of

the celesta is

as

follows,

sounding

an octave

higher:

Fig.

109

The

gentle

tones of the celesta haye a bell-like

ring

but do not last

long,

nor can they

be played staccato. Easily

covered

by other sounds

in the orchestra,

they

are used primarily

for

decorative coloristic

touches in soft nuances. In the following familiar motiYe, the celesta

chords are doubled by harp, two flutes and piccolo, and three solo vio

lins,

muted.

EX.

371.

Strauss-Der

Rosenka'l.. alier

p. 190, cd. Boosey

Hawkes

Copyright 1910 by Adolf Furstner. assigned 1943 to Boose;; I-bwkes. Ltd. ('sed by permission. (For

Portugal, Italy, Germany, Danzig, l ' ~ S R as of

1935:

F u r ~ t n e r .

Ltd

London.)

KEYBOARD

INSTRUMENTS

349

he next example shows a simple but striking use of the celesta t

mark

the final

cadence of

a

symphonic

movement.

EX.

372.

Shostakovich-Symphony

no. 5

p. 51, ed. Musicus

Moderato J , 42

tJ f / ~ S

2 TRP.

t . J ~

~ C J

~ ' -

pp

T, '

~

morendo

pp

.

;

...

CELESTA

)

_ f l _ . ~ j I R . ~

j I R ~ ~

t.J P

SOLO

:

morendo

- ~

N. strings muted

-

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('opyright 1 9 ~ 5 \ \ ~

Leeds

':'Iusic L(jrporatiul1. ::\ew York..

'[sed

by

p e l n l i ~ i o n .


7/20

72

The arp

and Keyboard

Instruments

Glisses over either the white

or

the black keys can be made by one hand, or

by

the

two

hands moving in

parallel or contrary motion (see

Example

7-60).

The hand,

the

fist,

or

the forearm

can be used

for clusters of notes, as shown

in

Example 6-23. If

only

white

or only

black

notes

are wanted,

this should

be

indi

cated separately.

Harmonics can be produced by silently

depressing

the keys of one

or more

notes in

the

harmonic series of a lower note, then playing

the

lower

note

sharply

and briefly (see

Example

6-24). The harmonics will resonate softly-so softly that

they

may not

be heard in a large room, and certainly

not

if

other

sound s present.

Example 6-23

\

> >

Example

6-24

\

~ ' '"

The

Use

of

the

Piano

The piano was very rarely

used

as a member of the

orchestra

in the nineteenth

century,

but

in

recent

decades

it has

become

almost

commonplace

in orchestral

scores. Like the harp,

it s

used

both to reinforce or accompany other

instruments

and

as a

soloist

(Stravinsky's Petroushka; Shostakovich s First Symphony, last move

ment). The percussive low register is

used

very effectively in the first

movement

of

Shostakovich s Fifth Symphony

and

in Copland s Appalachian ~ p r i n g In

Example

7-60, the

piano

is

used to

reinforce the glisses

of

the violins. Some works, like

Stravinsky's Symphony

o

Pmlms

use more

than one piano.

The Toy Piano

The

toy

piano

can

be

a

surprisingly

effective

instrument. The cheaper versions

may have only the

eight

notes of the

completed

C major scale, whereas others may


8/20

he ~ t u d y

of

rchestration

Samuel dler

Eastman School of Music

w

W

Norton and ompany

ew

York London


9/20

364

The

Study

of

Orchestra iC .

The

Piano

the

piano

as an

orchestral

instrument that it

was

a

Frenc?

innova

tion,

since it

is

in the

scores of D Indy, Debussy,

and

Stravmsky

that

it

first appears. . d th

In

relationship to the orchestra, the

piano may

be Vlewe m e

following

capacities:

1

as

the

solo

instrument in

a

piano

concerto;

2.

as

the executant

of

an

obligato

in

orchestral works,

such

as.

Bloch's

Concerto Grosso No.1 D Iridy s

Symphony o ~

a

F r e n ~ h

Mountain

Air, De

Falla's

Nights in

the Gardens of

Spam,

Sn:

avm

-

sky's

Petrushka, and others

(Saint-Saens s

Carnival of the Ammals

uses two pianos obligato. ; . s

3. as a

purely orchestral instrument,

m

such works

as

e b u s ~

Printemps

Martin's

Symphony No.4

Shostakovich s

Symphony

o.

, k

fi S h y

No 5

Ses-

1

Copland's Symphony No.3 Pro

0

ev s ymp

on

. ,

sions's Symphony No.2

Colgrass s

As Quiet

As,

and many

others.

The piano

is usually

used

to

double

a passage or

emphasize

a s e ~ c ~

chord

or note,

with

its

extreme

registers

employed more o f t e ~ tn:d

those at the middle of the instrument.

Occasional

s ~ l o s are a s s \ ~ G e d

to the piano

for contrast,

and

since

the

instrument IS usually p

0

not

somewhere in back

of

the

orchestra,

these

featured

passages

d

ry

convey the

impression of a solo

in

a

particular

work. Conte.mpor.a a

composers

often

use it

as a percussion

instrument. The

~ l a n o h 1 5 n e

substitute

for or a

contrast

to

the xylophone,

marimba,. or

l b r a ~ b ~ 5 5

and

at the bottom

of

its

range

can also reinforce the ~ l m p a m 0

drum. Combination doublings with

strings, woodwmds, and bra

eyboard

nstruments

365

are

of course

also successful.

There

are

instances where the piano

is

used instead

of a harp, playing arpeggios

in

fortissimo passages

where

the

latter

would

be

completely

obliterated.

In this connection one

should remark

that,

of

necessity,

many nonprofessional and school

orchestras

use a

piano

to minimize

the holes

that exist

in the

orga

nization,

since there

may be no oboe, bassoon, or viola.

This

is some

thing that is purely pragmatic

and

will be discussed

in

a

much later

chapter.

Una corda

Pedal

The Three Piano Pedals

t

Sostenuto

Pedal

Damper

(Sustaining)

Pedal

The

most frequently

used of the

three

is

the

damper pedal

which

lifts all

the dampers

and

permits the strings

to vibrate

even

after

the

key

has been

released.

The una corde pedal

is

the next most impor

tant.

na corde

means

one

string,

and describes

the

action

of this

pedal on

a

grand piano: when depressed,

it

moves the hammers into

a

position

where they

can

strike only

one

or

in

some cases two of

the

three strings of one

pitch. On

an upright piano, this

pedal moves

the

hammers

closer to

the

string. Both

actions

are

designed

to soften

the

tone of the instrument. The center pedal is the most problematical

It

is

correctly

called the sostenuto pedal

and

sustains only those

pitches

that

are

depressed

at

the same time the pedal

is

put into

action.

It

is

most useful

for

pedal points,

for

one can depress

a

pitch

and at the

same time

the sostenuto pedal, thereby sustaining tha

pitch

only,

while

playing other passages

over it.

Other pedals may

be used at will without affecting

the

pedal-point note. Unfortu

nately, many European pianos

and

a great majority of uprights do

not have this pedal,

so

it

is a

risk

to

write

for it. Nevertheless, orches

tral pianos are usually nine-foot grands

and would most

certainly

have

all

three pedals.

Often, because of the rather

novel

nature of the middle pedal

and

its

infrequent

use,

the right

pedal has been

called

sostenuto;

how

ever, that is not correct; the

names given

above are

the ones

to be


10/20

366

he

Study

of Orchestration

used.

However,

in English,

if

one

refers

to the sustaining pedal,

one

usually

means the right or

damper

pedal, simply

describing

its

action. This term is acceptable.

The

contemporary composer

often

extends the

techniques

of

the

piano

such

as:

1. Prepared piano is indicated,

meaning that

the strings are pre

pared with various

objects

either on top

of

them

or stuck between

them.

2.

The piano strings are struck with various beaters or brushes to

sound

like mallet percussion or

dulcimers.

3 The

piano

strings

are

plucked either

seeco or

let

vibrate.

4.

Roaring bass

tremolos, which

simulate a whole

battery

of bass

drums,

can

be performed by depressing

the

sustaining pedal and

playing

a

tremolo with both hands on the lowest

strings.

5. Some

composers (Le., Bernstein

in

The ge of Anxiety, Copland

in

Billy

the Kid) ask for

upright

pianos to suggest the local color

of

the

barroom or

music

hall.

6.

Toy pianos

have been

employed for special effects.

Before illustrating some

successful

uses of the piano in its various

functions

as

an orchestral instrument, it

is

important to

call attention

to

some

extraordinary

works

where multiple pianos

and percussion

take

the

place of an entire orchestra. Two of the most important of

these

are

Stravinksy's

Les Noees

and Orff's atulli

earmina.

rchestral

Uses of the Piano

Piano

as a

doubling instrument:

Example

XIII-2. Stravinsky,

Petrushka,

Danse russe,

mm.1-9

Keyboard nstruments

Example

XIII-3.

Shostakovich, Symphony

NO.1,

second

movement, mm.

113-18

3

See also

Copland Symph

N 3 d

'

any

o

,secon movement, mm. 115-20

Incidental

solos:

Example XIII-4. Stravinsky, Petrushka, second tableau, mm.

19-32

~ ~ AlI. O I 7

i

-

~


11/20

368

The

Study of

Orchestration

See also Berg, ulu

Suite Ostinato,

mm. 37-45.

As an

accompanying instrument:

Example

XIII-5.

Bernstein, On

the

Town,

Times Square,

mm. 1-5

Fl.

CI.

Cl.

Bo

B. GI.

1

Tpts.

Trbs.

1

Sn.Dr

Pere ,

B.I>

, , 0 .

2

3

-[

Cb.

llevroeJ :.

.... JJn.llo N

r ~ 1 k

...

Bf ..

J

j

P

J

P

...

I

AllreQro 88

PO'"

P

Traps.one player

P

.......--=

-.:.;..

~

.J< .

\ o ~

.

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-

~

I J J

J

J

I.J

J J

J I J

J

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I

J J J J .L

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,.

Keyboard Instruments

See also: Stravinsky, Petru shka,

second

tableau, mm.

62-67

Stravinsky, Oedipus Rex, C :QJ, mm.

1-11

CELEST

Celesta Fr.)

Example

XIII-6.

Range (sounds one octave

higher than

written)

Sua l

36

The celesta is a steel-bar piano, looking l ike a miniature version o

that instrument and sounding very much like a glockenspiel. Th

mechanism

of

the

celesta works in

the

following manner: felt ham

mers strike steel bars, which lie across a small wooden resonato

box.

The tone

is soft

and

delicate,

and even

though it has quite a bi

of

penetrating power

because of its

high

frequencies, it is by

no

means as piercing as the glockenspiel. The instrument has a dampe

pedal, and the notes do not sustain too long; but since they are pro

duced

by

striking

metal bars over a resonator,

there

is no true

shor

staccato. Melodic lines, chords,

and

arpeggios are all most effective

on the celesta, which is usually played by the pianist of the orchestr

or a percussionist who happens to

play

the piano. Besides solo

celesta passages, some of the most exciting pages of music for thi

instrument occur

when it doubles

the

strings,

the

harp,

the

piano

soft woodwinds, and gives a silver lining to the overall sound

The celesta is probably used more frequently

in

the orchestra than

any other

keyboard

instrument.


12/20

THE PI NO S ORCHESTRAL MEMBER:

V RIOUS

APPROACHES IN

NON CONCERTO COMPOSITIONS

y

EUN

HUR

Submitted

to the

graduate

faculty

of the

School

of

Music

in

partial

fulfillment

of the

requirements

for

the

degree

Doctor

of Music

Indiana

University

October 1994


13/20

5

hapter

I

Introduction

istorical overview

Music

history

has reacted

to

many

factors:

the

political

and

national

histories of

Europe,

commercial

conditions

such as music printing, the

publishing trade,

the

enterprise of concert-giving

institutions,

the

taste and

tendencies of society and

the

public

in

various

countries,

patronage of the

musical

art and the various

systems

of

music

education that have been

in

vogue. Progress

in

the art

and

technique

of

musical composition brings

about

development

in the

history of music.

Various

factors interact with each

other, making for

progress

in the field of music. The same tendencies

can be

applied to

the

area of orchestration as well.

In the beginning stage of orchestral development, the

harpsichord,

piano or other

keyboard

instuments in general were used in the orchestra to

supply harmony, and played from the figured-bass. This feature which has

been called the basso-continuo tradition, was characteristic of orchestral

writing from the earliest attempts until the coming of

Haydn and

Mozart s

classical orchestra.

At

that

time the basso-continuo tradition had died

out

and the

string

part

assumed the responsibility of supplying the main harmony.

On

top of

that,

the

development of

various

musical forms and improvements in

the

piano as an instrument enabled the piano to take a

prominent

solo function

throughout the

Romantic

period.

The

concept

of

the piano

concerto also


14/20

6

intensified with the

rise of

the virtuoso, who responded

to huge

audiences

and

large concert

halls; and

the

solo concerto is naturally

suited

to those

needs. Many

Romantic

composers thus

produced

piano

concertos in the

nineteenth

century.

At the turn of

the

century,

Western

Music

had reached an

unprecedented degree of harmonic complexity and technical development,

particularly with respect to orchestration. Composers were

becoming

more

and

more

skillful

in mastering

and

experimenting

with

new

and

unusual

combinations

of instruments, and

with

sounds and techniques not

previously

associated with

traditional instruments.

Instruments

not

commonly

associated with

the

orchestra like the keyboad group which are the piano, the

celesta

1

, the organ

2

, and the harpsichord

3

were used for their regular and

IThe

celesta

may

be

considered

a

kind

of

keyed

glockenspiel,

in that

its

tone is

produced

by hammers striking steel slabs. Each steel bar rested upon a

tuned resonating wooden

box,

this feature giving the

celesta a

softness and

delicacy that distinguish it from the glockenspiel.

It was

not

until

the late

nineteenth

century that organ parts

appeared

in

symphonic

scores

Saint-Saens,

Symphony No.3). The organ

has been

associated with the orchestra for certasin special purposes. Works for

chorus

and

orchestra

frequently include the organ Honneger,

Le Roi David).

The

organ

also has

been

employed

in

symphonic works of the grandioso type

Mahler,

Symphony

No.8).

3 Modern composers have shown interst

in

this

baroque

instrument

and

have

written for

it in combination

with

the small orchestra. The

followings

are some modern works employing the harpsichord; Falla, El

Retablo de Maese Pedro, Martin, Petite Symphonic Concertante, Strauss,

Dance

Suite after

Couperin.


15/20

7

non-traditional

sounds.

Among

these

instruments,

the plano which' had

been treated

as a

prominent

solo

instrument

was employed as

an orchestral

instrument by many

composers.

The

first composer to

treat the

piano as an

orchestral instrument

was

Hector

Berlioz, in

the

first half of the 19th century.

He wrote

for

two pianos

in his Lelio Symphony. Berlioz

has long

been recognized for his exceptional

orchestral

skills,

and this quality

is illustrated

in La

Tempete, with its

innovative use of the

piano

as

an

orchestral instrument. He

was one

of

the

first to comment on the

dual

nature of the piano.

The pi noforte at the point of perfection to which our skillful

manufacturers have brought it now-a days may

be

considered

in

a

double point of view: as

an orchestral instrument,

or as forming a

complete

small orchestra in

itself.

On

only one

occasion

has

it

been

deemed well to employ the pianoforte in the orchestra under the same

class as other instruments;

that

is to say, letting it bring to the aggregate

its own

peculiar

resources,

which nothing can

replace (Berlioz,

Treatise,

p.73)4.

But

Berlioz s

innovative and progressive ideas in the area

of

orchestral

effect

exerted

little influence

on

the

art

of

that era

due to

his sporadic

success.

4David A. Day, A Historical and Critical Study of Hector Berlioz s Lelio

ou e

retour a

la

vie,

M.M.

dissertation, Brigham Young University,

Dec.

1981, p.8S.


16/20

8

common within orchestral composition excluding solo concertos. Affected

by

Paganini who

carried

the Romantic concept of

virtuosity

to new heights

Liszt composed Totentanz a

symphonic poem

for piano

and

orchestra.

In

a

parallel conservative

movement Brahms wrote

his

first piano

concerto

which

was originally conceived as a

type

of

symphony

At the

end

of the

Romantic era the size

of the

orchestra

was

expanded

and new treatment of

rarely

used instruments like

the

keyboard group

was

invigorated.

Among

the

keyboard

instrumental group

the piano

is

very

suitable for the

purpose

of adding color to an

orchestra

rendering many

special effects to

orchestral

compositions.

Many

pieces were composed from

1890 to 1950 employing

the piano as

a

major

instrument but still as

an

orchestral member.

Ultimately

the piano became a common orchestral

instrument

during

the early

twentieth

century.

The following five categories of

piano within

orchestral compositions

can be proposed:

1) The eighteenth century continuo practice of incorporating a

keyboard to play along with the orchestra to

provide

support for

compositions.

This practice died

out

in

the nineteenth century but

witnessed a vigorous revival in the neo-classical movement starting in

the early

twentieth century

and continuing

up

to the current day in the

works of conservative

composers.

2)

The rise of the piano concerto from the eighteenth century to the


17/20

9

present. Beginning

with

Mozart and following

through Beethoven

and all of

the

major Romantic

composers, the piano

became an

outstanding

vehicle for virtuosic display and musical

presentation.

3)

Compositions for piano and orchestra

or

almost-concerto where

the

solo

piano

retains

a

prominent position while the orchestra

is

trea

ted

as an

equal

partner.

4) n

the

twentieth

century,

the plano as a regular orchestral

instrument

became

a

common

choice for

composers

of large

orchestral

works like symphonies

and

tone poems.

5)

The

piano

in the small chamber-like

orchestra became popular

throughout the twentieth century.

I will

discuss the

third, fourth, and fifth categories above

in

relation to

the piano

as

orchestral member.


18/20

10

imitations

There are

many

orchestral pieces

such

as

symphonies and

tone poems

that

are not clearly solo

piano

concertos,

but

which

have

major

piano

parts. I

have searched, discussed, and

listened

to

these

types of

compositions,

and

narrowed them

down

to four categories

where

the piano

plays

a

part

within

orchestral pieces.

1) The piano in

Symphonies,

such as Leonard

Bernstein s

Symphony

No.3

Kaddish

Charles

Ives

Symphony

No.4

Aaron Copland s

Symphony No.3 Sergei Prokofiev s Symphony No.5

Edward

Elgar s

Symphony No.3 Igor Stravinsky s Symphony of Psalms and

Bohuslav

Martinu s Symphony No.4 where

the

piano takes a part as one

of the

orchestral instuments. In the

twentieth

century, the piano is a

common orchestral instrument and

also its

use

varies

within

symphonic

works.

(2)

The

piano in symphonic poems or

tone

poems, such as

Vincent

d Indy s Symphony o a French Mountain Song Cesar

Franck s

Les

Djiins Alexander Scriabin s Prometheus

and

Ottorini

Respighi s

Pini

di Roma

where

the piano is used as a vehicle for special effects to give

more vivid messages

and

for a wide variety of expression.

3) Works for piano

and

orchestra,

such

as Manual

de

Falla s

Nights z

the Gardens

of

Spain

Igor

Stravinsky s Capriccio Gabriel

Faure s

Ballade Karol Szymanowski s

Symphonie

Concertante

George


19/20

11

Gershwin s

Rhapsody in Blue

Alfredo Casella s

Partita for Piano and

Orchestra Riccardo Pick-Mangiacalli s Sortilegi

and

William Walton s

Sinfonia Concertante for Orchestra with Piano.

In those works, the

piano is

more absorbed

in the orchestra, as

opposed

to

being the

soloist

in a concerto,

and

the orchestra

has equal importance with

the piano.

4) The

piano

in a small orchestra, such as Bella Bartok s Dance Suite

Darius

Milhaud s La Creation du Monde

Alban Berg s

Lulu Suite

Aaron

Copland s

Music for

the

Theatre

Olivier

Messiaen s

Sept Haikai

and Steve Reich s Variations for Winds Strings and Keyboard.

With

the trend

in

the twentieth century toward a wide choice

in

orchestration, the

piano in a

small

group more closely interacts with

other instruments as in an ensemble.

5)

The piano

in orchestral pieces like Igor

Stravinsky s

Petrushka

and

Firebird Constant Lambert s Rio Grande and Aaron Copland s

Apalachian Spring. The piano has

been

effectively

and idiomatically

used

to

make

a special

addition

to these orchestral pieces.

Based

on my musical

score search, this

document

presents

six selected

representative works

by

recognized

composers reflecting

a variety

of

nationalities and compositional approaches.

These are:

Alexander

Scriabin,

Prometheus (1908-1910), a

symphonic

tone

poem employing

a

piano part;

Igor

Stravinsky, Petrushka (1910-1911),

an orchestral piece where the piano

takes part; Charles

Ives, Symphony no 4 (1909-1919),

which

is an

example

of


20/20

2

use of the

plano within

the symphony; Darius Milhaud,

a reation du

Monde 1922), a

piece

for

small orcheatra having

a

piano

as

an ensemble

member; Karol Szymanowski,

Symphonie oncertante 1932),

an almost-

concerto where the

orchestra and

piano

are treated

equally;

and

Olivier

Messiaen,

Turangalila Symphony 1946-1948), a

mixture

of all of

the

above

categories.

The

six works

are

arranged in

Chapter

II.

by their compositional

years which helps

to

trace the historical

trend of

piano use in orchestral

works.

First, I analyze

the actual

compositions in

general, pointing

out the

overall

form, style, and charateristics,

including

a brief

description

of musical

materials

and

parameters.

After this, I

determine the

specific role of the

piano

within the orchestra. How was

the

piano used?

Does the

piano play

throughout?

Is

the

piano merely

a

doubling instrument?

Is

the

piano

a

soloistic

instrument?

Does it have an alternate function? How does

the

compositional writing affect the expansion of

the

piano's possibilities as an

orchestral instrument. With these historical and stylistic analyses,

conclusions is made about

the

how the piano's function has been expanded

beyond

its

former limitations through

the

evolution

of

musical composition.

Orquestration Walter Piston

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